


105. “I believe in you.”

by CannedTins



Category: Darkwing Duck (Cartoon 1991)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, One Shot, drakepad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-18
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2020-01-16 02:42:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18512257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CannedTins/pseuds/CannedTins
Summary: Launchpad might be naive, but he still had some emotional intelligence. He knew when Drake Mallard felt down, like his self-confidence was shattered, he was really down.Drabble that was requested by Thelionisbusy on Tumblr.Yes, it's similar to my other Drakepad fic.





	105. “I believe in you.”

**Author's Note:**

> (I appear to write Launchpad as being way, way smarter than he actually is, this is because I cannot write dimwitted characters very well. I see Launchpad as more naive and easily impressed but not really...like Patrick Star. This is Ducktales ‘87/Darkwing Duck continuity.)

Launchpad might be naive, but he still had some emotional intelligence. He knew when Drake Mallard felt down, like his self-confidence was shattered, he was really down. He’d only known the duck-superhero for just under a year, but he learned a lot about living with him and Gosalyn. If it helped, working for a grumpy old man for about five years worked too; Scrooge was old and got upset very easily.

He knew Drake would be in one of his bad moods if he was sitting at the coffee table at very early morning hours when he was supposed to be asleep, or if he even seemed to avoid Gosalyn or not take notice of her troublemaking behavior as often. He always had bags under his eyes thanks to continually working as a father and superhero nearly 24 hours straight, but sometimes they’d be even more pronounced when he was feeling sad. He knew that Drake Mallard, or Darkwing Duck, wasn’t always the confident and mildly histrionic hero he appeared to be. 

It was one of those bad nights where Drake was awake at a time too late to be Darkwing Duck and too early to be Drake Mallard, slumped at the coffee table with a glass of water in hand (no more drinking alcohol, he promised Launchpad), looking more exhausted than ever. Launchpad fiddled his thumbs as he sat in the table, waiting for a response from his partner. Drake usually knew that when he was having one of these episodes, Launchpad was there for him. He’d notice.

“You feel bad again, DW?”, calling Drake “DW” rather than his civilian name had become something of a verbal tic for Launchpad and he couldn’t help but use it every time, even in public.

Drake looked up slowly, not moving much from his position, “Yes. Remind me not to watch the news when I’m already in a sour mood.”

Launchpad blinked, “Oh, because they don’t say nice things about you?”

Drake nods.

“And they say nice things about Gizmoduck instead?”

Drake nods again.

Launchpad liked Gizmoduck, but he was totally aware of Darkwing’s rivalry with the mechanical superhero from Duckburg. He also knew that Gizmoduck was really Fenton Crackshell, a very socially awkward, easily excited accountant who worked for Scrooge. Fenton had about as much self-confidence as Eeyore and was by all means incredibly weak without the suit. But as Gizmoduck, his self-esteem was raised, he felt good, he felt like a superhero as he should be. Launchpad was sure Drake felt the same way as Darkwing. He just couldn’t imagine that in Gizmoduck, apparently. Of course, Drake had no idea that scrawny, nervous-wreck Fenton Crackshell was the bold and determined Gizmoduck.

Looking back to Drake Mallard, he felt an incredible amount of respect and admiration for both Drake and Darkwing, having been the masked mallard’s biggest fan and knowing that fateful encounter just under a year ago, he couldn’t have dreamed for working for him prior. Scrooge did not believe him when he said he was working for St. Canard’s local superhero. Darkwing was everything to him, he believed every word Darkwing said about being mysterious, daring, and handsome, even if others would disagree or even if Drake would doubt himself on those words. But Launchpad genuinely believed everything about Darkwing Duck. 

Launchpad stood up from the table and put a hand on Drake’s shoulder, the size difference between his own hand and Drake’s shoulders reminded him how he was really just a short, puny duck. A bit like Fenton, really. Drake looked up at Launchpad and reached in for a hug, his head barely reaching up to the pilot’s massive chest. He looked as if he were about to cry, or scream, or say something otherwise negative, like he was bottling up all his emotions in a jar labeled “true feelings” that had been locked with a padlock labeled “self-confidence”. Launchpad’s hugs were always warm and strong, just like himself, and when Drake wasn’t trying to ham up his persona and was able to show his more vulnerable side, he loved those hugs. 

The two hadn’t talked in the half-hour that had passed, the sun already beginning to rise. Gosalyn was either asleep or secretly awake and playing a video game---it was hard to tell right now. The embrace went on for that amount of time, and they cherished it. Drake mumbled something under his breath that Launchpad couldn’t understand, but he smiled anyway, reassuring his partner.

“I believe in you.”


End file.
